Album Review

New York's Sam Champion love Pavement. Named for either a local weatherman or a character from the 1974 TV drama Murder of Mercy, the midtempo-obsessed quartet sounds more like a smart-ass version of Eleventh Dream Day than the band's more obvious heroes. Frontman Noah Chernin's Stephen Malkmus/Lou Reed-inspired drawl allows lyrics like "I am aggressively lazy" to descend out of his mouth like a drunk on a high dive, occasionally screaming for effect — it's derivative, but likable. There's a nice Americana vibe to the aptly titled Slow Rewind. Two ballads, "You Can't See the Stars in This Town" and "Texas Song," hint at sunset beauty but are eclipsed by the fact that if listeners aren't already asleep by the time the songs arrive, they'll have no choice but to submit to sweet darkness within three measures.

Biography

Formed: 2002 in New York, NY

Genre: Rock

Years Active: '00s

Named after a popular local weatherman, New York City indie rock quartet Sam Champion specialize in mid-tempo guitar rock that brings to mind Pavement, Paul Westerberg, and Lou Reed. Comprised of guitarist/vocalist Noah Chernin, drummer/vocalist Ryan Thornton, bassist/vocalist Jack Dolgen, and guitarist/vocalist...